Case study 2 Svalbard a land of Challenges

Case study 2 - Svalbard a land of Challenges I am Lorek Byrnison, and I am an armoured bear. I’m looking for a job. Any ideas? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. List 4 jobs opportunities that would be available for Lorek in Svalbard. List 3 reasons why tourists visit Svalbard How many tourists visit Svalbard each year? Which mineral is mined in Svalbard? In which months is it a polar winter (dark 24 hours a day) in Svalbard?

Case study 2 - Svalbard a land of Challenges I am Lorek Byrnison, and I am an armoured bear. I’m looking for a job. Any ideas? 1. Miner, lecturer, polar bear guide, adventure instructor, hotel manager body guard! 2. Northern lights, whale watching, adventure tourism, cruise visits 3. 70 000 4. Coal 5. Late November to February

Direct Vocabulary Instruction Remote Definition: A remote area is a small place far away from any other towns cities and other centres of population Svalbard is very remote. Although Svalbard is a territory of Norway it’s small population of 2700 people are 1900 km away in the Arctic Ocean.

Learning aim: To investigate the natural environment of Svalbard ‘so that’ I can explain how it creates challenges for people living there Success criteria I can describe the major problems of living in a cold and remote environment I can explain the solutions to living in a cold environment

Watch the video clip https: //www. youtube. com/ watch? v=5 Nh. IRw. Cq 428 Identify 5 features of life in Svalbard that would make it a challenging place to live and work

Why is it a challenge living in Svalbard? _________________________________________________ ______________________ The challenge of transport Two reasons why travelling by car in Svalbard is difficult are __________________________Ro ads made of gravel and not tarmac because _______________________________ The challenge of working outside in extreme temperatures Most people travel around in winter using ________ The sun permanently set between ______ and _______in Svalbard In mid winter temperatures are as low as ______ °C _____ layers of clothing are recommended for the body and legs when going outside It is a challenge for working outside in winter because _________________________ STRETCH Lots of layers are better than one thick layer because ________________________________________________ The challenge of remoteness Svalbard is very remote because ___________________________________ Food cannot be grown on Svalbard because ______________________________ All essential goods reach the shops in Svalbard by ____________________________B uying basics like food is very expensive in Svalbard because _________________________ The challenge of construction There is plenty of street lighting _____________________________________ Houses are built on stilts ________________________________________ Sewage and water pipes are heated ____________________________________ Houses are heavily insulated _______________________________________ Most building takes place in the summer __________________________________ Sewage and water pipes run above ground _________________________________ The challenge of Polar bears are dangerous to people in Svalbard because ____________________________Pe ople protect themselves from polar bears by _______________________________

Challenges of living in Svalbard It’s dark between December and February Temperatures reach -20°C in winter There are more polar bears than people It’s hard to get services to people There are only 40 km or roads on the islands It’s extremely remote and inaccessible

Challenge – Working outside in extreme temperatures POLAR NIGHT. 11 14 th November - 30 January https: //www. youtube. com/ watch? v=9 ai. ILAAFz. SI Watch from 12 to 13 minutes 1. Between which dates is the sun permanently set in Longyearbyen? 2. How cold does it get in mid winter? 3. How many layers of clothing are recommended for the body and legs when going outside? 4. Explain a challenge this creates for working outside in winter Stretch yourself Suggest why wearing lots of layers instead of one very thick layer is a better way to dress

Challenge – Remoteness Svalbard is 1900 km away from Norway in the middle of the Arctic ocean and is very remote. This means getting supplies like food is difficult because there is no agriculture in the extremely cold environment. This means everything that people need must be flown in by aeroplane from the mainland. Svalbard has only 2700 people but has an international airport in Longyearbyen with flights to Norway and Russia 1. 2. 3. 4. Why is Svalbard very remote? Why can food not be grown on Svalbard? How do all essential goods reach the shops in Svalbard? Suggest why buying basics like food is very expensive in Svalbard

Challenge – Transport in Svalbard There are only 40 km of roads in Svalbard and in winter driving is treacherous. Roads are gravel not tarmac. Snowmobiles parked up in the summer Wheel chains There are more snow mobiles than people in Svalbard 1. Explain two reasons why travelling by car in Svalbard is difficult 2. Why are roads made of gravel and not tarmac? 3. How do most people travel around in winter?

Challenge – Construction of housing The biggest challenge when building housing is coping with the extreme cold and trying not to melt the permafrost otherwise houses would sink into the ground. There is plenty of street lighting because it’s too cold to work outside in winter Houses are built on stilts so they don’t melt the permafrost an are easily accessible for repairs Sewage and water pipes are heated because it’s dark for three months a year Houses are heavily insulated to prevent heat from the building melting the permafrost and the house sinking Most building takes place in the summer Sewage and water pipes run above ground because otherwise they may freeze and crack because of the extreme cold most of the year

Challenge – Polar bears A polar bear has been shot dead after it attacked a cruise ship guard on Norway's Svalbard archipelago, within the Arctic Circle. The guard suffered non-life-threatening head injuries and is said to be in a stable condition. He was assigned to protect tourists who had landed on Svalbard's northernmost island from the MS Bremen, which is operated by Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. The German cruise company said a second guard shot the bear "in selfdefence". The injured man was airlifted to hospital in the town of Longyearbyen, on Spitsbergen island. Polar bears wander freely in the countryside around Longyearbyen, and sometimes they come into town. There are more polar bears than people and they are carnivorous. The law requires you to carry a weapon if you're leaving town, you're allowed to shoot a polar bear only in self-defense. (The police investigate every shooting. ) What's more, you're expected to frighten the bear away if you can--e. g. , with a signal flare 1. Why are polar bears dangerous to people in Svalbard? 2. How do people protect themselves from polar bears?

Give a score out of 9 for memory recall 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. There are only _____ km of roads in Svalbard There is an international airport in ______ on Spitzbergen It is ______ km between Svalbard and Norway In winter most people travel around using _____ Houses are built on stilts so the don’t melt the _____ Going outside in winter you should wear _____ layers of clothing To aid accessibility, sewage pipes are built _____ It is law to carry a ____ for protection when out of town To stop roads cracking in the cold roads are made of _____

Give a score out of 9 for memory recall 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. There are only 40 km of roads in Svalbard There is an international airport in Longyearbyen on Spitzbergen It is 1900 km between Svalbard and Norway In winter most people travel around using snowmobiles Houses are built on stilts so the don’t melt the permafrost Going outside in winter you should wear 4 layers of clothing To aid accessibility, sewage pipes are built above ground It is law to carry a rifle for protection when out of town To stop roads cracking in the cold roads are made of tarmac

Explain two reasons why the climate of Svalbard makes it a challenging place to live Point Describe the features of the climate of Svalbard (a tundra climate) Explain Give a reason why the climate is a challenge for people living there Explain Give another reason why the climate is a challenge for people living there Explain two solutions to the challenges of living in Svalbard Point Describe a challenge (it can be climatic but doesn’t have to be) Explain a solution to the challenge Point Explain Describe another challenge (it can be climatic but doesn’t have to be) Explain a solution to the challenge

Explain two reasons why the climate of Svalbard makes it a challenging place to live The climate of Svalbard is cold, windy an dry. There are only 4 summer months where it barely gets above freezing, and in the winter nights it can be as low as -20°C. It is dark between November and February. This means working outside in winter is extremely difficult because its dark making it hard to see and you could catch hypothermia if not properly dressed. Also transport around the islands is difficult by car because there are only 40 km of roads and they become frozen and snow covered in winter Explain two solutions to the challenges of living in Svalbard One challenge is the extreme remoteness of the islands and cold climate making it impossible to grow food supplies. A solution to this is having an international airport in Longyearbyen so that supplies can be flown in from mainland Norway. Another challenge is the extremely low temperatures, especially in winter when it is as low as -20°C. A solution to this is wearing multiple layers of clothing (up to 4 layers) which retain heat and keep a person warm outside.

Why is it a challenge living in Svalbard? It’s dark between December and February There are more polar bears than people Temperatures reach -20°C in winter It’s extremely remote and inaccessible There are only 40 km or roads on the islands The challenge of working outside in extreme temperatures 30 th The sun permanently set between November and January in Svalbard In mid winter temperatures are as low as -20°C °C 4 layers of clothing are recommended for the body and legs when going outside It is a challenge for working outside in winter because Its hard to move easily with so many layers on and it’s also extremely cold STRETCH Lots of layers are better than one thick layer because the layers trap air between then insulating you more and you can add or remove clothes if needed The challenge of remoteness Svalbard is very remote because it’s 1900 km away from mainland Norway in the middle of the Arctic ocean Food cannot be grown on Svalbard because the climate is too cold for it to grow All essential goods reach the shops in Svalbard by aeroplanes landing at the international airport in Longyearbyen Buying basics like food is very expensive in Svalbard because It’s extremely expensive to transport them over great distances by plane so the costs are passed on The challenge of transport Two reasons why travelling by car in Svalbard is difficult are There are only 40 km of proper roads and they become frozen and dangerous in winter Roads made of gravel and not tarmac because tarmac would crack in the extreme cold Most people travel around in winter using snowmobiles The challenge of construction There is plenty of street lighting because it’s dark for three months a year Houses are built on stilts to prevent heat from the building melting the permafrost and the house sinking Sewage and water pipes are heated because otherwise they may freeze and crack Houses are heavily insulated because of the extreme cold most of the year Most building takes place in the summer because it’s too cold to work outside in winter Sewage and water pipes run above ground so they don’t melt the permafrost an are easily accessible for repairs The challenge of Polar bears are dangerous to people in Svalbard because they roam freely around the town of Longyearbyen, are carnivorous and there are more of them than people on the island People protect themselves from polar bears by carrying signal flares to frighten them away and its law to carry a gun for protection if you are outside town